Being hit by a distracted driver is frustrating because these accidents are preventable. When someone chooses to text, talk on the phone, or engage in other distracting activities while driving, they put everyone else at risk. Now you’re dealing with injuries and expenses because someone else couldn’t wait to check their phone.
It’s important to remember that a distracted driver is a dangerous driver. If you have experienced the consequences of a distracted driver via an automobile accident, an experienced Scranton car accident lawyer at Munley Law can help. We will review your car accident case and fight to ensure you receive the compensation you are owed. Contact us today for a free consultation. We do not collect a fee for our services unless we win your case.
Distracted Driving Laws in Scranton, PA
Pennsylvania has strict laws against texting while driving, and violations of these laws can significantly strengthen your injury case. Understanding these laws helps us build stronger cases for our clients.
- Texting While Driving is Illegal—Pennsylvania law makes sending, reading, or writing text messages while your vehicle is moving illegal. This includes emails, instant messages, and other text-based communication. Drivers who violate this law face fines and penalties.
- Enhanced Penalties for Injury Crashes – When distracted driving causes serious injuries or death, Pennsylvania’s Daniel’s Law imposes additional penalties on the driver. These enhanced criminal penalties often support our arguments for higher compensation in civil cases.
- Commercial Driver Rules – Truck drivers, bus drivers, and other commercial vehicle operators face even stricter rules about phone use while driving. Federal regulations and company policies create additional ways to hold commercial drivers accountable.
These laws exist because distracted driving is dangerous and preventable. Drivers who break these laws and cause accidents should be held fully responsible for the consequences.
How to Prove Distracted Driving in a Scranton Car Accident Claim
Unlike drunk driving cases, where police can perform breath tests, proving distracted driving requires a thorough investigation to uncover what the driver was doing at the moment of impact.
- Cell Phone Records – We can obtain detailed records from phone companies showing when calls were made, texts were sent, or data was used. These records often provide the most evidence that drivers were using their phones when they should have been watching the road.
- Social Media Activity – Many people post on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media while driving. We investigate social media accounts to look for posts, messages, or location data that shows the driver was active on their phone during the crash.
- Vehicle Technology- Modern cars record information about what drivers are doing inside the vehicle. We can examine navigation, entertainment, and other technology to see if the driver was interacting with these systems instead of focusing on driving.
- Witness Testimony – Other drivers, passengers, or pedestrians sometimes see distracted driving behavior before crashes occur. We interview all potential witnesses to document what they observed about the driver’s behavior.
- Expert Analysis – We work with specialists who understand how to examine phone records, analyze crash patterns, and explain to juries how distracted driving causes accidents.
Common Types of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving involves more than just texting. Other types of distracted driving include:
- Phone Use—Talking on handheld phones, texting, checking social media, taking photos, or using apps while driving can be distracting and contribute to accidents. Even hands-free phone calls can be distracting and contribute to accidents.
- Eating and Drinking – Trying to eat meals, drink coffee, or handle food while driving takes attention away from the road and often requires taking hands off the steering wheel.
- Personal Grooming – Applying makeup, shaving, fixing hair, or other grooming activities while driving creates dangerous distractions that can lead to serious accidents.
- Passengers – Intense conversations with passengers, dealing with children in the backseat, or turning around to address passenger needs can distract drivers from the road.
- Navigation and Entertainment – Programming GPS devices, adjusting music, or interacting with entertainment systems while driving diverts attention from the primary task of safe driving.
All of these activities can wait until you’re safely parked. When drivers engage in these behaviors while driving, they should be held responsible for any accidents they cause.
Why Scranton Distracted Driving Cases Are Different
Distracted driving accidents often cause more severe injuries than other types of crashes because distracted drivers don’t brake or take evasive action before impact. When someone is looking at their phone instead of the road, they often strike other vehicles at full speed.
Distracted drivers frequently fail to slow down before crashes, creating more severe impacts and more serious injuries than accidents where drivers attempt to avoid collision. When drivers don’t brake or swerve before impact, victims have no warning to brace for impact or take protective action, often resulting in more severe injuries.
Many distracted driving accidents occur at intersections when drivers run red lights or stop signs because they weren’t paying attention. These side-impact crashes often cause serious injuries.
The fact that these accidents were completely preventable often increases the emotional impact on victims and their families, creating additional trauma beyond the physical injuries.
Insurance Company Challenges
Insurance companies often dispute distracted driving claims because proving distraction can be complex. They may argue that injuries weren’t serious or weren’t caused by the accident. They use several tactics to avoid paying fair compensation for these preventable accidents.
Insurance companies may argue that phone activity occurred before or after the crash, not during the collision. Our Scranton distracted driving accident lawyers use detailed timeline analysis to prove the connection between phone use and the accident.
The insurance adjuster may challenge the reliability of phone records or claim that hands-free use doesn’t constitute distraction. Munley Law works with experts who can explain how various types of phone use impair driving ability.
Insurance adjusters often try to blame accidents on road conditions, weather, or mechanical problems rather than acknowledging distracted driving. We conduct thorough investigations to demonstrate that distraction was the primary cause.
Why Choose Munley Law for Distracted Driving Cases
Distracted driving cases require attorneys who understand modern technology and know how to obtain and analyze digital evidence. We have the experience and resources needed to prove these complex cases.
Technology Expertise – We work with digital forensics experts who can obtain phone records, analyze social media activity, and examine vehicle technology to prove distracted driving.
Investigation Resources – We have the tools and knowledge to conduct thorough investigations, including working with accident reconstruction specialists and technology experts.
Proven Results – We’ve successfully handled numerous distracted driving cases and recovered significant compensation for our clients throughout Scranton and Pennsylvania.
No Fees Unless We Win – You don’t pay any attorney fees unless we successfully resolve your case. We handle all the upfront costs of investigation and expert analysis.
Contact Munley Law
Evidence in distracted driving cases can disappear quickly. Phone companies may delete records, social media posts can be removed, and witness memories fade over time. The sooner you contact us, the better we can preserve the evidence needed to prove your case.
Pennsylvania law gives you two years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit, but waiting too long can make it harder to gather the evidence needed to prove distracted driving.
If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver in Scranton, don’t let them avoid responsibility for their preventable choice. These accidents shouldn’t happen; when they do, the drivers who cause them should be held accountable.
Contact Munley Law today for a free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and begin the investigation to prove distracted driving and recover the compensation you deserve.
